Online training of TPACK skills of higher education scholars: a cross-institutional impact study

Higher education institutions should provide adequate training for teachers in order to increase their awareness of the complex interplay between technology, pedagogy and the cognitive knowledge in their disciplines. However, research has shown that providing effective staff development by teacher educators to support these teachers’ skills is not straightforward. An online teacher training program created and implemented by a team of 14 teacher educators in a cross-institutional program in the Netherlands was followed by 67 teachers. Data were gathered using a TPACK (Technological, Pedagogical, Content Knowledge) instrument in a pre-post test design. Furthermore, (perceived) learning satisfaction was measured in order to determine whether the design was appropriate. The results indicate that the teachers’ TPACK skills increased substantially. Furthermore, most participants were positive about the design and implementation of the online professionalization program. Nonetheless, not all teachers were able to effectively learn in this context, requiring further fine-tuning and research.